News

Wolf Expert on Campus Thursday

October 16, 2013

Dr. John Vucetich, associate professor at the
school of forest resources and environmental science at Michigan Tech
University, will speak on the wolves and moose of Isle Royale Thurs., Oct. 17,
at 7:30 p.m. at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute (SOEI) at Northland
College.

Students will also have the opportunity to meet with Vucetich in CSE 125 4-4:45 to ask questions and talk about ethics and philosophy on wolf management, as well as, carrer and academic pathways regarding wolves.

Timed to coincide with National Wolf Awareness Week, held during
the third week of October, the SOEI invited Vucetich as part of its ongoing lecture
series.

Vucetich will discuss the dwindling wolf population at Isle Royale
National Park and potential solutions. The National Park Service has not yet
made a decision in response to the possible extirpation of the wolves on the
island, but they plan to do so later this fall, which will result in a public
input process.

In anticipation of that, the SOEI and the National Parks
Conservation Association held a public forum in June on this issue in
Minneapolis to explore the causes behind the population decline and potential
responses.

A panel of wolf researchers and wilderness advocates
discussed the sustainability of various approaches and other considerations,
including impacts on the moose population.

More than 150 people attended to participate in the
discussion on the sustainability of various approaches and other considerations,
including impacts on the moose population.

A population biologist who spends most of his time studying
the moose of Isle Royale, Vucetich’s interests include philosophy and ethics of
ecological and conservation science.

“The purpose of the Isle Royale wolf-moose project has been
to observe and understand the dynamic fluctuations of Isle Royale’s wolves and
moose, in the hope that such knowledge will inspire a new, flourishing
relationship with nature,”Vucetich said.